Trailer review: 5 thoughts after watching the American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez trailer

The first trailer for FX's American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez has hit, and it looks like an amazing new drama!

Ryan Murphy is well known for his terrific work producing some hit anthologies for FX. They include American Horror Story and American Crime Story, with several seasons boasting some great reviews and multiple Emmy Award wins. Now, Murphy is turning to the sports world and has picked one notable first entry in Aaron Hernandez.

A star for the University of Florida Gators, Hernandez helped with the 2009 National Championship and was drafted into the NFL in 2010 by the New England Patriots and played in a Super Bowl.

However, Hernandez suffered an epic fall from grace when he was arrested in 2013 for the murder of Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional player who was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancée. He was convicted in 2015 and sentenced to life in prison. He was also indicted for the 2012 murders of two other men, although he was acquitted of that. Hernandez's tale came to a brutal end in 2017 when he was found hanging in his prison cell at age 27. 

It's a wild story and this new FX drama will tackle it in a ten-episode series adapted from the podcast Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc. from The Boston Globe and Wondery. The first trailer does show some intriguing turns for the series. 

It's going to be a dark ride

As expected, the series won't hold back on the dark side of Hernandez. The trailer has him remarking, "You don't know what kind of thoughts I have. It's like a demon. What if God made me this way?" That hints that whatever drove Hernandez to his murderous actions was always inside him and football the only outlet for his rage. 

The trailer hints at Hernandez's issues with an agent warning him that the drugs and other problems are harming his talent. The series won't shy away from the dark side of its subject matter and push an intense tale. 

Jose Andres Rivera looks the part

Best known for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Jose Andre Rivera appears ready to take off with this show. He looks the part, both resembling Hernandez and believable as a football player. Rivera also has the acting chops to pull the part off and delve into the troubled aspects of Hernandez's life. He can even make it a bit sympathetic in how the man couldn't overcome his inner darkness and led to his end. It should be a fine showcase for the rising actor and, not unlike the real Hernandez, he leaves it all on the field. 

The football may be secondary

Despite the title, the sports part of this story may be secondary. We do have Patrick Schwarzenegger as Tim Tebow and Norbert Leo Butz as Patriots coach Bill Belichick. Yet, the football part of the story may not be as important as the focus, which is more on Hernandez. His story could have been an actor or some other businessman going from rags to riches and unable to handle it. The trailer shows football will be a huge factor in Hernandez's career, but the focus is more on the man himself and his crimes than the gridiron action. 

The crimes will be a focus

Obviously, the central part of the show will be Hernandez's horrible crimes and we get hints in the trailer of his shootings of various victims. The series will also delve into what drove Hernandez into this and it's notable how there's little mystery as it was pretty obvious to the cops Hernandez did it and the case pretty open and shut. Yet there are still questions as to what pushed him into this darkness and why he did it as well as the reactions of friends and teammates to how they knew a murderer. The murders will be the focus of the series and make this another great Murphy program. 

It's a perfect Ryan Murphy show

You can always tell a Ryan Murphy show by the unique style. From the frantic cuts to the overall theme and tone, this fits right with his other works. That includes a top cast aiding the storyline and no doubt a few shots at the media blitz about the Hernandez trial. There's also hints at Hernandez's final days in jail and the fallout of his actions as the finale may be more about the aftermath of it all.

It comes together for a powerful new drama as fans can expect American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez to be yet another feather in the cap of Murphy's FX library. 

American Horror Story: Aaron Hernandez premieres on Sept. 17 at 10/9c only on FX.